


Adventures of a Little Mountain Bookshop

by thestrawberrygirl (ItsEmilyFreakingPrentiss)



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Don't Judge Me, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, also elle gets a girlfriend, and it shouldn't be anything worse than canon, but my friend said I should post it here too, hotchniss, i just really love the bookstore/coffee shop aesthetic, i love those two dumbasses, idiots to lovers, lots of whump and angst, no seriously like i wrote it down and they're all bi pan gay ace whatever, none of them are straight, ok these tags are getting long sry, the violence doesn't come until later, this actually started on ff.net, this is so self indulgent lmao, what about it, what can i say, yay, yes this does have almost every character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26823463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsEmilyFreakingPrentiss/pseuds/thestrawberrygirl
Summary: A good coffee shop or bookstore isn't defined by what novels their shelves hold or what beans their coffee is made of. It's defined by the people who work there, the close-knit group of friends that are more like family who love each other and would do anything for one another. They may seem like an odd bunch, but they would go to the ends of the earth together. They are their own family, and they'll need each other to survive what life has in store for them. (Bookstore/coffeeshop AU)
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Emily Prentiss, Alex Blake/James Blake, Kate Callahan/Tara Lewis, Penelope Garcia/Derek Morgan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Meet the Family

**Hello! This is my first time posting on this sight, I'm normally over on fanfiction.net. Don't really know what I'm doing yet haha. This is my current story that I have posted over on my ff.net account, thatstrawberrygirl (thestrawberrygirl was already taken :( oh well) There's lots of angst in this story, but that doesn't really happen for a while. I have more stuff like a playlist and some headcanons on my tumblr, thestrawberrygirl if you want :) Hope you like it!**

* * *

_ The Mountain Bean _ was a small establishment situated in the rolling hills of Colorado. It was a used bookstore/coffee shop that was primarily run by a group of teenagers. The store did well- it was never too busy, so the quiet bookstore aesthetic was never broken, but there were enough customers that they never had to truly worry about finances.

The workers of the coffee part and the bookstore employees were on the same shift schedule and all got along well. They were an odd group, but they loved each other just the same.

Aaron Hotchner tightened his hold on his backpack and the folder in his hand as he mentally prepared to enter. He was applying for a job at the store, and the folder held his resume and references.

As he walked in, a girl of about 18 or 19 in a polka dotted dress with a light brown apron over it and multicolored streaks in her bright blonde hair called out to him.

“Hey handsome, what can I get for you today? You look like an espresso kind of guy, am I right?” Her name tag said Penelope.

“Oh, actually I’m applying for a job in the bookstore,” he explained. Penelope nodded.

“Miller! You’ve got someone needing an interview!” She called into the store. A few moments later, another girl of about 20 emerged from the shelves of the store. She had auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail, dark blue jeans with Converse, an olive green tanktop, and a solid black cardigan over it. On her nose perched a pair of reading glasses.

“Hi, I’m Alex Miller, I’m the manager here. If you’ll just follow me, we can get the interview started.” He followed her through the shelves upon shelves of books to a small office in the back. “So, tell me about yourself. Why would you be good for this job?”

* * *

“I’ve seen enough. You’re hired,” she decided, dropping her pen on his file.

“Seriously? That’s it?”

“Yep. It wasn’t a hard decision, we’ve only had two other people apply, and they were  _ definitely  _ not a good fit. The first one was very…  _ opinionated,  _ which is a nice way of saying she was a bigot, and the second one was a fifty year old man who couldn’t stop staring at the other women who work here. He even tried to grope one of them on his way out, and she sprained his wrist. Come on, I’ll tell you who’s who.” He followed her out of the small office, leaving his backpack behind.

“First, the coffee shop employees. Be nice to them, they have a lot of power here. The one with the colorful hair who you met first, that’s Penelope Garcia. She’s the light around here, complete sunshine. She’s also a hacker extraordinaire, so don’t piss her off. The short one, that’s Kate Callahan. She’s  _ very  _ protective of everyone in here, and can definitely kill you. Don’t underestimate her by her size. The tall one next to her, that’s Tara Lewis. Like the other two, very protective. Actually, just… don’t mess with the coffee shop workers. The one with the high ponytail is Elle. She can be terrifying if she wants to be, but she’s got a good sense of humor and she’s like the big sister of the four of them.”

“Next, the regulars. The one flirting with Garcia is Derek Morgan. He’s here a  _ lot,  _ mainly just to see Penelope. We’ve got a pool going on when they’ll get together if you want in. He’s a nice guy, a bit cocky but he’s kind. The blonde one over there is JJ. Soccer star, she’s really sweet. She’s here a lot to study, we let her read the books without buying them since she’s doing so much already, but always up for a good chat. He’s not here yet, but David Rossi comes in a lot too. He always reads the true crime books we have. Technically, Jason Gideon’s the owner, but he doesn’t act like one. He’ll come in, talk to Spence or Elle, buy a coffee and make sure everything’s running smoothly, but he’s really laid back.”

“Lastly, the bookstore workers. That’s James Blake,” she pointed to a boy who looked to be about 20 also. “He’s one of the cashiers. James is really sweet. You too should get along well. The little kid in the beanbag is Spencer Reid. Gideon had to pull some special strings so he could work here. He’s the youngest out of all of us, 14. He’s also our human catalog. He’s a genius, he has an eidetic memory and can read 20,000 words per minute. There’s me, of course. Technically I’m the manager but really it’s just a title.”

“Not exactly Al, you are definitely the most responsible out of all of us,” the boy she pointed out as James said.

“Yeah Alex, you’re the mom friend,” Spencer added without looking up from his book in the corner.

“Well, you heard them, I’m the mom friend. You’ll be a cashier with James most of the time, but honestly your position is pretty flexible. Sometimes I’ll have you shelving, sometimes you’ll be buying the books that people bring in. Just be ready for anything.”

“Who’s that?” He asked as he pointed with his chin to a girl pushing a cart of books. She was dressed head to toe in black, even her hair was dark. She was wearing black skinny jeans tucked into a pair of Doc Martens with roses embroidered on the side. She had a black Hozier shirt tucked into her jeans under a long black cardigan that went down to her knees. Her long black hair was pulled into a half-up, exposing the cobalt blue underside. Her ears had at least 7 piercings, showing a variety of stud earrings. She had black eyeliner as well as dark lipstick. Her eyelashes were long and a pair of white earbuds were dangling from her ears.

“Oh, right. That’s Emily Prentiss. She’s our shelver. She’s the one who sprained the guy’s wrist, if you’re wondering. She doesn’t talk much, but she’s nice. Unless you get on her bad side. Then all hell breaks loose. I’ve seen it. She’s scary when she’s mad. She’s funny though. She keeps to herself. If I’m being honest, I don’t know that much about her. David Rossi, one of the regulars I told you about, he knows her pretty well. He’s your best bet on getting to know some things about her; she’s quite secretive. There is one thing though. Don’t ask her or try to talk to her about her past or her parents. Last time it happened, she didn’t say anything for a week. She came in, did her job, but she didn’t talk to anyone. Not even Spencer or Rossi. Anyways, if you want, you can start now.”

“Right now? That works for me.”

“Great! James, this is your cashier partner, Aaron Hotchner.”

“I go by Hotch,” he told him as he shook the cashier’s hand. He then began walking back through the store to the back room to get his bag. He found himself standing behind Emily, not really knowing what to do. She seemed to sense his presence, because without even turning around, she said, “No, I’m not going to get you a discount on your books and no, giving me your number won’t change that.”

“Oh, I wasn’t going to-“ she spun around to face him, a battered copy of  _ Flowers in the Attic  _ still in hand. She raised one eyebrow to say,  _ well? _

“I’m Aaron Hotchner. Hotch. I’m the new employee here.”

“I’m guessing Alex filled you in on everyone?” She asked, putting the book on the shelf and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Yeah. I’m a cashier for now.”

“Cool. Well, just a few more things that I doubt Miller told you about. One, James has a crush on Alex. That’ll become pretty clear the more time you spend here. Are you new in town too?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, keep your head down around here. There are people who will try to get you into trouble. Don’t let them. There’s a guy that’ll swing by sometimes, George Foyet, he threw Derek threw a window last month. He’s just a bully, albeit a very aggressive one. Three, we’re a family here. You hurt one of us, you hurt all of us, understood?” He nodded, and she stepped aside to let him pass. “Welcome to the team Hotch.”

* * *

“Princess, I think your cat is hungry,” Morgan called into the store as he scratched a black cat behind the ears. Hotch was on his dinner break, drinking a coffee with his turkey sandwich. Emily soon emerged from the back part of the store, scooping up the cat in her arms. The cat climbed up her arm and sat on her shoulder as she started to retreat back to the inner part of the shop.

“You’re a witch, you know that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cat do that with anyone before,” Morgan told her. She smiled slightly.

“Well, like you said, I am a witch.” Hotch observed as the black cat purred contentedly from its place on her neck.

“She’s allowed to bring her cat into the store?” He asked the other man when Emily left. Morgan laughed.

“No, Sergio isn’t her cat. He’s the store cat, Princess is just his favorite. She takes care of him on holidays too, so we all joke that he’s really her cat and the rest of us are just for show. I’m surprised Alex didn’t tell you. We found Sergio 6 months ago, when he was a kitten. Prentiss and Penelope were about to go home at the end of their shift when they found him behind the dumpster outside.”

“He was so small and still we weren’t even sure if he was a real cat,” Penelope added as she wiped down a counter.

“They brought him inside, and we all fell in love with him. I drove him to the vet and groomers while the others got him all sorts of treats and toys from the store. Customers and kids love him, and he loves the attention. He’s lived here ever since.”

“Huh. You guys have an interesting dynamic here.”

“You didn’t know that?” Elle sat down next to the two. “I’m pretty sure that ‘be ready to get a second family’ is in the job description. Or at the very least, one of us told you that on your first day. “

“Emily did say something like that on my first day,” he told them.

“Damn, she talked to you on your first day? That’s rare. Not to say she’s antisocial or anything, she just doesn’t normally talk to the new people, not on their first day anyways. She talked to Pen and me-“

“Pen and I,” Alex corrected her as she sat down at the table with the others.

“Pen and  _ I,  _ sorry Miller, forgot how much of a grammar nerd you are. Anyways, Penny and I talked to her on our first day, but I don’t think she did to anyone else.”

“Spreading conspiracy theories about me Greenaway?” Emily had circled her cart of books back to the shelves in the front.

“Someone has to,” she shot back with a grin.

“Just don’t tell them about how I’m actually a witch here to curse them all,” she joked before continuing to shelve her never-ending cart of books and novels.

“Did she just make a joke?” Derek asked before Alex slapped him on the back of the head.

“She  _ does  _ have a sense of humor, you know, she just doesn’t show it much.” Hotch nodded absentmindedly, wondering what else Emily Prentiss was hiding.

* * *

David Rossi walked into the bookstore like he always did on Tuesdays. As he walked in, he saw a familiar face shelving books as she always did. He also saw a new face working the register with James. He dismissed it, instead making his way to Emily.

“He’s getting big, isn’t he?” He asked her as he pet the cat sitting on her shoulder. She turned around at the sound of his voice and gave him a hug.

“Hey Rossi! I pulled some new true crime books I don’t think you’ve read yet, they’re in the back.”

“Hey kiddo. Sorry I wasn’t here last week, I was out of town.”

“It’s fine, it was a slow week anyways.” Aaron watched from a distance as the two friends caught up. He had only been working here for about a week, but in that time, he had never seen her as happy as she was right now. He saw how she handed him Sergio and how Sergio didn’t protest. That was rare- even though Sergio technically was everyone’s at the store, the only people who could hold him without getting scratched were Penelope, Derek, and Emily, and Emily normally let him ride on her shoulders all day anyways.

“When’s your dinner break?” All of the employees on this shift schedule worked the late shift, from 4 PM to midnight, so instead of lunch breaks they had dinner breaks.

“About 20 minutes.”

“You wanna go get something to eat?”

“Sure, let me just wrap this up.” Hotch leaned down next to JJ, she was sitting on the desk next to the register.

“Are they together?”

“Who?” She questioned as she turned the page to her Spanish textbook.

“Prentiss and Rossi.” JJ actually closed her textbook to look at him. Her gaze was a mix of incredulousness and confusion. 

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” She burst out laughing, to the point where she fell off of her chair.

“What’s so funny Jareau?” Morgan came over to see what the commotion was about.

“He thought… Emily and Rossi… were a couple!” She managed to gasp out before she continued laughing.

“No way, really? That’s a new one. We’ve gotten JJ and Em, me and Emily, even Alex and Emily, but  _ god,  _ never her and  _ Rossi. _ ”

“The more I think about it the worse it gets,” JJ’s laughs had subsided into hiccups. “First of all, Emily’s a 17 year old college sophomore, and Rossi’s in his  _ 60’s.  _ A forty year age gap? Come on. Second of all, Rossi’s married to his wife, Carolyn, and third, Emily’s like his daughter. She always has been. The two of them together? Ew…” JJ explained.

“What’s ew?” Penelope had brought over the coffees they had ordered.

“Hotch thought Princess and Rossi were dating,” Morgan filled her in.

“That brings a whole new meaning to the word ‘gross.’ That’d be like her dating her dad!”

“So I’ve heard,” Hotch commented dryly.

“Anyways, no, Goth Gumdrop and Master of All Things Italian are not dating. They’re just friends. You’re new, you’ll learn. Just give it time. Just be glad Elle isn’t here right now, you’d never hear the end of it. And you two, go easy on him. He’s only been here a week,” Penelope warned them before going back to her work.

There were a  _ lot  _ of things he had to learn about this place.

* * *

“So, how have you been? Anything exciting going on?”

“No, not really. I go to my college classes, work here, go back to my apartment. To be honest the highlight of my life is work. That’s depressing when I say it out loud. What about you?”

“Not much, I’m working on my new book. Are you still in ballet?”

“Yes, but you can’t talk about that. I have a reputation to uphold.”

“And what reputation would that be?”

“The reputation of being a complete and total mystery, of course.”

“Of course. And there’s no one giving you any trouble?”

“No… why? Is someone giving  _ you  _ trouble?”

“No, I just worry about you. There are bad people in this town, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“As sweet as that is Rossi, I can take care of myself. I’m a big girl.” He smiled.

“I know you can. I’ve never doubted that. But even the strongest of souls can get into trouble. Just… tell me if someone does, ok?”

“This is about Foyet, isn’t it? What happened with Derek last month?”

“Yes, it’s about that. Emily, Foyet has a good lawyer. He didn’t face any charges and there’s no restraining orders on him. He could come back and come after you or Spencer.”

“If someone messes with Spence, you’ll know. Trust me, I don’t take lightly to that shit.”

“Thanks kiddo.”

“No problem Rossi.” The waiter came back and Rossi asked for the check.

“Let me pay,” she insisted.

“No.”

“Come on, Dave, you always pay when we go out to eat. Let me pay this once.”

“I’m a millionaire author and old. Let me pay.” She threw her hands up in defeat.

“What  _ will  _ we do if Foyet comes back?” She asked softly as they walked back to the store. Rossi sighed.

“You’ll tell me, if he comes back then I can get a restraining order to stick. If he’s violent towards  _ any  _ of you, I can get him arrested.” That seemed to be a satisfactory answer as they walked back into the store. 

“What are you guys all smiling about?” She asked as she walked into a shop of grinning faces.

“Oh, nothing,” Garcia very unconvincingly lied.

“Ok so there’s  _ definitely _ something.”

“Hotchner thought you and Dave were a thing,” Elle said.

“Ew! No offense Rossi, you know I love you, but ew.”

“None taken, I don’t like it either. That’s like dating my daughter.”

“Is it just a widely known thing that you two have a father-daughter relationship?” Hotch asked, annoyed. Emily smiled at him as she went back to work- not the big dopey grin she had had earlier, but a smile nonetheless.

He followed Rossi outside as the older man walked out of the store.

“Mr. Rossi?”

“Just Rossi or Dave is fine,” he said, turning around to face him.

“Rossi, can I ask you a question?” The older man gestured to the bench in front of the store and they sat down.

“Depends on the question.”

“What can you tell me about Emily?” Rossi sat up a little bit straighter.

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything. What does she do for fun, what are her hobbies, things like that.”

“She plays piano and violin.”

“... what happened to her?” Rossi stiffened.

“I can’t tell you that. I don’t even know the entire story, she didn’t even tell me much about what’s happened, I had to fill in most of the blanks. I can tell you, however, that she has demons in her past. Lots of them. She’s guarded the way she is for a reason.”


	2. Love Like Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're so cute and I love them. That's pretty much it. Oh and some vague foreshadowing. Enjoy!

_Yes I know that love is like ghosts_   
_Oh, and what ain't living can never really die_   
_You don't want me baby please don't lie_   
_Oh but if you're leaving, I gotta know why_   
_I said if you're leaving, I gotta know why_   
_Oh I sing all day and I love you through the night_

* * *

“Emilyyyyyyyyyy, I need your help,” JJ groaned from her table in the shop that she had commandeered. Her textbooks and homework were spread out over the surface of the table, along with several empty coffee cups and pastry wrappers. Emily looked up at her from behind her book, looked at her workspace, and then decided that JJ really  _ did  _ need her help. She marked her place in her book before standing up to help the high school senior. Technically, JJ and Emily were the same age, except for a few months, but Emily had skipped 2 grades. No one knew which one, because Emily Prentiss did not talk about herself,  _ ever _ .

Before she said anything, she picked up the numerous pieces of trash and threw them away. She straightened JJ’s papers into a nice neat stack and pulled her hair out of her face in a tight braid behind her head. She ordered her a frozen coffee drink and a hot sandwich, which was a sharp contrast to the weak lattes and muffins she had been eating since she had gotten there at 2 in the afternoon.

“You need to eat something substantial instead of pastries, and you need a change of pace in your coffee order. Plus, a cluttered workspace is a cluttered mind.”

“Thanks. Who told you that?”

“My grandfather, I lived with him in the Alps for a year. I’ve got a lot of random sayings like that.” JJ raised her eyebrows in surprise. That little tidbit was the most anyone had ever learned about the brunette in the year she had worked in the shop. 

“It’s Spanish,” JJ sighed. “I have a bunch of homework due tomorrow and an exam and I don’t understand  _ any of it.” _

“Pobre bebé,” Emily joked as JJ shot her a glare.

“I know you’ll never tell anyone  _ how  _ you know what you know, but  _ god,  _ I wish that I did too. My teacher sucks.”

“You’re right, but I’ve been told I’m a good teacher, and from what I’ve heard about your Spanish teacher, I can’t be much worse, so let’s look at this, alright?”

“The grammar makes no  _ sense,”  _ she groaned again. “I wish I could drop the class.”

“Just be glad you didn’t take Russian, their grammar makes no fucking sense whatsoever,” Emily added as she made corrections to JJ’s paper. She was biting her lip in thought as she annotated it with her navy pen. JJ turned to face her, incredulous.

“Are you telling me you speak Russian too?”

“Yep,” Emily confirmed as she continued fixing JJ’s paper.

“What other languages?” JJ asked, even though she knew she might not get an answer.

“French, German, Italian, and Arabic. A little bit of Mandarin and Greek, enough to get by anyways, and I’m learning Japanese.”

“How?!”

“No,” Emily shut her down. “Honestly, you aren’t as bad as you think. Minor corrections, but Spanish words are gendered. When referring to a woman, the word ends in ‘a’, when referring to a man, the word ends in ‘o’. If it’s not specified or gender-neutral, it’s still ‘o,’ but not all words follow it. For some reason, even the people making the rules can’t follow them, so there are exceptions in every language. Also, adjectives go before the noun in English, but after in Spanish. If you remember that you should be fine. Is there anything else?”

“Just fucking Music Theory, but I doubt even you could help me with that.”

“Let me see.” 

JJ passed her the large packet of worksheets. She looked over it, made a few notes, before dropping it again.

“I know music, but not the theory part. Ask Spencer, he’ll be able to help you more than I can.”

“Since when do you know music?”

“Since I was… 5 I think. Anyways, ask the kid. Call me back over if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Emily.”

“Anytime Jayje.” She went to the counter where James had a fresh box of books needing to be shelved, and after loading them onto her cart, popped her earbuds back in. It was pitch black outside, the store closed at midnight and it was 10:00 PM. Occasionally, Alex let them keep it open for longer if someone needed to keep using the books, like JJ. The town did have a library, but it was old and rundown and had barely any books, so students would often come here to use the battered textbooks. They weren’t technically a library, but they made enough money that they didn’t need to make the already broke students buy the books.

The employees and regular customers would often help the burnt out college and high school students with essays and papers that they had to get done the next day. Spencer was best at it, he was the genius after all, but the others had their things they would help with too. Emily and Alex would help with foreign language and English classes, Penelope with technology classes, even offering to type up a handwritten paper since her fingers flew across the keys like lighting, Tara with Global Studies, occasionally pulling Emily for the really obscure questions. Rossi would help with Criminology and Psychology classes, and so would Gideon if he was here. JJ had enough to do on her own, but she would help the communication majors and public speaking students with speeches.

James was studying to be a doctor, so he would assist the younger med students while Elle and Kate would mainly offer moral support and encouragement, and coffee of course. Derek would help them relieve some of their never-ending stress by dragging them out for a short game of tag or catch, just enough to get their blood rushing. He had only done it a few times in his short time at the store so far, but Hotch helped law students with their papers and arguments. They all did something to help the kids pushing themselves past their limits so they didn’t completely fall apart. All of them had helped someone through at least 2 panic attacks.

They were the guardian angels to the students of the town, even though they were all students themselves, with the exception of Gideon and Rossi. They helped each other out too. Rossi has helped Emily with her Advanced Psychology class more than once. Gideon had shown up yesterday and had helped Aaron with his law papers, even though he had never met him before and Derek helped JJ with her essays and quizzes if no one else was available. 

JJ had taken on a  _ lot  _ of courses, and that combined with her constant soccer practice, she was stretched very thin. She had admitted to them that she had gotten in on a soccer scholarship to the private high school since that was the only way out of her small hometown, but had wanted more from herself. So, she loaded on the classes to the point that she was drowning in schoolwork, and the workers and patrons of the shop often threw her a rope to keep her from dying in the piles of papers and homework.

“Hi, JJ.” Spencer had sat down across from her to help with her music theory work. She looked at him between her fingers before removing her hands from her face. 

“Hey Spence. I don’t understand any of this shit,” she filled him in on her current predicament. He didn’t say anything, just nodded and took the packet of papers from her. His eyes flew across the page, absorbing the information like lighting. His pen ran across the page in a blur, correcting errors and mistakes, before he handed it back to her a minute later. 

“Do you understand the basic elements of sheet music?” She shook her head. “Ok, so first there’s a clef that the music is written in. Depending on the clef, the meaning of the written notes will change. A high A in treble clef looks different than a high A in bass clef. There are three main clefs; bass, alto, and treble clef. There are others too but you don’t see them much. There’s also the time signature. The top number determines how many beats there are per measure, and the bottom one determines what note type gets the beat. The bottom number is normally 4, and that means the quarter note gets the beat. The quarter note is completely filled in with a line…” he continued to explain it quickly, and her mind had to race to keep up. It made sense though, more than it did before anyway. 

“Hey Reid, slow down. She’s not as fast as you,” Alex reminded him as she sat another two coffees in front of the pair. Spencer blushed slightly, but he did slow down and JJ mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ at Alex. “I can’t, in good conscience, close the store while you’re still working so hard for your classes, so stay as long as you need to. I know Prentiss would practically live here if she could, so I’m sure she won’t mind staying late. I don’t think anyone else has anything either, so we’re all here for you,” she told the blonde student. JJ smiled gratefully at the older girl.

“Hey Lex, since we’re gonna be here a while, you wanna go pick up a pizza with me?” James asked her, putting down his newest medicine novel.

“Sure. You driving?”

“As always,” he smirked and she smiled back. They walked out together, joking and laughing the whole way.

“Wow. You weren’t kidding. How are they not together yet?” Hotch asked once the pair was out of earshot.

“Good question. I can’t believe how blind they are,” Penelope answered. “Anyone need a refresher in their coffee, lovelies?”

“I could, Baby Girl,” Morgan said.

“Coming right up, Hot Stuff.” She laughed as she started preparing a latte for her ‘chocolate thunder.’

“Does anyone actually come in and buy books after 9?” Hotch asked as he straightened up the checkout desk.

“Not normally, but sometimes people will come in just to not be alone,” Spencer told him, taking a break from tutoring JJ to take a sip of his coffee. “That’s how I started out. I’d come here at night and after a while Gideon offered me a job.” Hotch nodded in fascination as he picked up a book from under the desk.  _ The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. _

“Have any of you ever read this?” He asked, trying to decide whether or not the book was worth his time.

“No, but I think Princess has. You can try asking her. She's got good book suggestions if you need one.” He hopped out of the barstool that the cashiers got to sit on, and made his way to the girl in black amidst the shelves.

She appeared to be lost in thought, staring at a copy of  _ Little Women,  _ with a wistful look in her eyes. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder and she just about jumped out of her skin.

“Jesus Fucker on a bike, Hotchner, are you trying to give me a heart attack?” She scolded, quickly placing the book behind her.

“Sorry,” he apologized sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t scare me, you startled me. There’s a difference.”

“Sorry either way," he said, his eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion. "The others told me you’ve read this, is it good?” He held up the copy of  _ The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. _

“Yeah, yeah it’s a great book,” she answered, running her hand through her black and blue hair, trying to come off of the adrenaline rush he had accidentally given her. “You should like it, it seems like something you’d be interested in, mystery and all that.”

“Thanks. What’s the significance of  _ Little Women? _ ”

“What?”

“You were looking at it like you’d missed it or something before I showed up.”

“I-... it’s just a good book.”

“Fine, don’t tell me. But if you do want to tell me, I’ll listen.” 

She nodded and looked down at her feet before continuing to push the large cart of books. He watched her push it out of view, or at least what she thought was out of view, before picking up the book once more. He tip-toed closer so he could see her better and watched as she flipped through the pages, a smile gracing her features. A small tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away, but it wasn’t a sad tear, at least not completely. It was… bittersweet, like she was remembering a happy memory now passed.

He suddenly felt like he was intruding on a very private moment, and quickly left her in peace. She was such a mystery. He kept his emotions close to the chest too, but she brought a whole new meaning to the word ‘stoic.’ 

He walked back to the register, thinking the whole way. Her wardrobe reflected her character perfectly. Black and a bit of grey. Midnight, mystery, and a storm brewing on the horizon. Cobalt blue. Kind. But still guarded. And firm. Silver. Elegance, grace. And dark purple, a beauty that could not be tamed.

* * *

**A bit of corniness, but what doesn't have a bit of corn nowadays. Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Ends of the Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More cuteness! I love these dorks so much. A small bit of angst, not too bad

_ To the ends of the earth, would you follow me  
There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see  
To the ends of the earth, would you follow me  
If you will have a say my goodbyes to me? _

* * *

“Alright, we’ve got cheese, veggie, and pepperoni, take your pick,” Alex announced as she walked into the store again, James on her heels with three pizza boxes in hand.

“Can we use the coffee shop plates, Tara?”

“Sure, they’re here for a reason. How much do we owe you?”

“It’s on me, don’t worry about it,” James spoke up. “We’re having a late night in a bookstore to help a student with her homework, and she’s not a med student so I can’t help much. So, I paid for the food.”

“I tried to make him let me pay for it, but he wouldn’t listen. He said that since the rest of us are helping tutor, he has to pay for pizza. I think that he’s being chivalrous, but he insists he just wants to pay for it, so…” The others looked at each other knowingly. This was James trying to show his feelings to Alex, and she was incredibly blind to it.

“I’m gonna feed Serg and then I’ll be right out,” Emily called out from behind the books. A ‘meow’ told them Sergio was already with her. The rest of them dug into the pizza. Derek got pepperoni, of course, while Penelope got veggie. Spencer downed a dairy pill and took two pieces of cheese. James took one of all three, and Alex got a cheese and veggie. JJ followed Spencer and got some cheese. Hotch decided to get a veggie, to be some semblance of healthy, and a pepperoni. Elle, Kate, and Tara all went for cheese and pepperoni, and when Emily came back out she got two veggies.

They all ate their pizza before getting back down to business. JJ’s teachers had no mercy on the student body, and so she had 5 exams tomorrow, as well as an overwhelming amount of homework. Penelope started typing up all of her papers for her to save time (they were required to type up essays at her school), Elle and Kate put a pot of coffee on, Emily and Alex dove into the shelves to find the best books to help her study, and the rest of them started checking what she had already done. 

To any bystander, it would look very strange, but to the family of workers, this was simply what they did to help out a friend.

It was almost 2 in the morning when they had finished getting JJ studied up for her tests and helping her through the ungodly pile of homework. Alex and Emily were the only ones who were, miraculously, not falling asleep on their feet, so they offered to drive everyone home. No one wanted someone to fall asleep at the wheel. They were currently deciding who would ride with who. 

“I’ve got a 5 seat, so I can take 4.”

“I have a 5 seat too, but JJ’s place is really close so we can just cram the other 5 in. I’ll take JJ, Kate, Elle, and Spencer in the back of mine, and then either Derek or Hotch can take my passengers,” Emily concluded.

“I can ride with you!” Hotch offered a little too quickly. When Emily looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, he quickly added, “Because Penelope and Morgan will probably want to ride together.” Emily nodded, but she didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“Ok, so I’ve got Tara, Derek, Penelope, and then James in my passenger’s seat since he’s too tall to fit in the back with the rest of them. JJ’s house is less than 5 minutes away, so just don’t get pulled over in that time,” Alex went over their plan, and they proceeded to start packing everyone into the cars.

“It’s times like these that I wish I was short,” Tara said as she got into the back of Alex’s car with Derek and Garcia.

“You would look  _ so weird  _ as a short person,” Kate told her as she got into Emily’s. “Being super tall is, like, part of your personality. That would be like me being your height. It’s just weird.”

“I guess.” Over in Emily’s car, Elle was against the window, Kate was sitting in the middle, and then the two smallest, JJ and Spencer, were sharing the other window seat. The seat belt easily buckled them both in, and Emily and Hotch got into the front. Emily’s car wasn’t new, but it was clean and in good condition, so you didn’t really notice.

They stopped at JJ’s apartment a few minutes later. Emily made sure she got in safely and relocked her door before she left. Hotch was waiting in the car with the other three. Even though Elle wasn’t that much younger than him, and Kate and Spencer were only a few years, he felt like he was responsible for the others. Looking into the back, Kate and Elle were both sound asleep. Kate was sleeping on Elle’s shoulder, and Elle was passed out on the window. Spencer was just gazing out the window, thinking.

Emily came back to the car a few minutes later, and started driving to Elle’s place. It wasn’t that much farther than JJ’s, and soon she was pulling into the building’s parking lot. She did the same thing she did for JJ, making sure Elle was safely in her apartment with the door locked before she left. She wasn’t going to let her friends get hurt because of an unlocked door. Kate had moved to the other window seat now that Elle wasn’t there, and promptly slipped back into unconsciousness.

Kate and Spencer’s places were a little more out-of-the-way, so it was about 10 minutes before they pulled up to Kate’s place. Just like the last two, Emily walked her into her home. Reid appeared to finally be coming off of the seemingly infinite caffeine high, and started to give into the exhaustion. He was out cold in minutes.

When Emily came back and saw that Reid had fallen asleep, she took extra care not to wake him.

“Spencer has really severe insomnia, that’s why he drinks so much coffee, so please try not to wake him,” she whispered quietly as she started the car once more. When they pulled up to a house in the suburbs, she parked and gestured silently for him to step out.

“I wouldn’t normally ask this, but he’s out cold, and I really don’t want to wake him. He has the worst case of insomnia I’ve ever seen, and it’s really rare for him to be able to sleep like this. I would do it myself, but even though he’s skinny I’m not strong enough. Would you mind carrying him in? It would mean a lot.”

“Of course,” he said and he could see her visibly relax.

“Thank you  _ so much,” _ she told him as she carefully opened the car door. He picked up the fourteen year old with ease- he was very light. Emily pulled out one of the keys from her keychain and opened the door to the house.

“His room is the first one on the left. As soon as you put him in the bed, close the door and wait for me in the car, understand? I’ll handle the rest.” His eyebrows furrowed at her strange instructions, but he nodded.

“Spencer? Is that you?” A woman’s voice said from inside the house, and Emily instantly disappeared towards it. He followed her instructions and set Reid in the bed gently, closing the door behind him.

“Diana, it’s Emily. Spencer’s asleep, his insomnia streak finally broke. But he’s safe. I promise.”  _ Of course he’s safe. Why wouldn’t he be? _

“Oh, hello Emily. Where’s Spencer?”

“He’s in his room, he’s asleep,” she repeated.

“Who are you?” Diana had seen him standing in the hall, and Emily spun around to glare at him. He had  _ not  _ followed her directions. 

“That’s Aaron, he’s a friend of Spencer’s and I. Now, let’s get you to your bedroom, ok?” She put her arm around Diana’s shoulders and led her somewhere else in the house. He managed to catch the last part of what Diana was saying to her.

“... Emily, I don’t like it when you bring people I don’t know into my house, you know that.”

“I know Diana, but Aaron’s a good person, and he’s gone now, ok?”  _ What?  _ He thought. He felt like he was missing a very important piece of a puzzle, but not wanting to anger her more than he already had, he slipped out and back into the car.

Emily came out a minute later, her face portraying the slightest amount of anger that he was sure was multiplied tenfold inside her.

She didn’t say anything for the first few minutes of the drive, until she pulled into an empty lot and parked the car. She turned in her seat to face him.

“I  _ specifically told you  _ that as soon as he was safe in his room, to get out and wait for me. You are  _ so lucky  _ that that wasn’t worse than it was, or else you would be in a lot hotter water than you are.”

“I think I’m missing something.” 

She sighed and put her head in her hands. “You can’t tell a  _ soul  _ that I told you this, understand?” 

He nodded, looking concerned.

“Spencer’s mom has paranoid schizophrenia. No one knows but Alex and I, and Spence doesn’t  _ want  _ anyone to know, so you will carry this to your grave, ok?”

“Ok.”

“Diana doesn’t trust easily because of her condition. It took months for her to trust Alex and I. That’s why you were supposed to  _ get out  _ as soon as possible, because I didn’t want her to freak out, but you clearly don’t know how to follow instructions.” Oh yeah. She was mad.

“I’m sorry.” 

She bit her lip. She didn’t  _ want  _ to forgive him, but he didn’t know any better and he was still new and seemed genuine. She sighed heavily. “It’s fine. Just don’t do it again, and if Alex or I tell you to do something, you do it. We both know most of the stuff that goes on around here, so listen to us, alright?”

“Alright.” She put the car into reverse and started to pull out of the lot, when she promptly stopped it again. “I take the others home all the time but I haven’t taken you home yet. What’s your address?” He rattled off his address and she started driving again. They drove in silence until she pulled into his driveway.

“Here we are.”

“Are you going to be fine? I mean, all the others had someone to make sure they were alright. You’re going home alone,” he pointed out. She snorted.

“I’ll be fine, Hotch. Go home. It’s not my first time doing this.” He was hesitant, but he got out of the car and watched her drive away. He knew that he was being stupid, but he couldn’t help it. She protected all of her friends, walking them inside and making sure their doors were locked before she would even consider leaving. But who protected her? Rossi did, but he wasn’t here right now. Morgan? Sometimes. But not really, not always. And of course, they all protected each other as friends, but that was expected. So who looked out for her? Who walked her to her car at night? Who walked her into her apartment? Who made sure she locked her door?

As he stepped over the threshold of his house, he realized the answer was no one. 

* * *

**Hotch is worried for his friends, which I find adorable. I would really appreciate it if you dropped a review!!**


End file.
